I’ve seen this rumor doing the rounds on Twitter, so I figured it may be worth analyzing on here. Caughtoffside is reporting that Manchester United are planning a £22m bid for Lyon midfielder Yoann Gourcuff. The source alone seems to suggest that this is nothing more than transfer bollocks; however, it does bring up an interesting discussion. The press has continued to link United with numerous midfielders recently, but are additions necessary?
Getting back to the Gourcuff rumor, I’m just not buying it. There are no quotes in the stories, which typically a clear indication that the story has no foundation. There is also the fact that United released their yearly accounts today which showed annual losses amounting to a record £83.6m, though David Gill claims the club has £165m available in it’s bank account. A £22m bid seems somewhat unattainable at the moment.
And while I do believe this story is completely fabricated, I also think that Gourcuff would be an excellent addition to the squad. The Lyon playmaker is the reigning French Football Player of the Year, though, given their dire World Cup performance I don’t know how much an honor that is. The 24-year-old has not settled well with Lyon and reportedly does not get along with manager Claude Puel. Lyon are currently 17th place in the Ligue 1 table, and it is rumored Gourcuff would welcome an escape to a club that will challenge silverware.
From what I’ve seen of Gourcuff I have been quite impressed, but I do have some concerns with the Frenchmen. At the age of 24 he has already moved from AC Milan to Bordeaux to Lyon. If he couldn’t succeed at a club like AC Milan, what makes some people think he would thrive at Old Trafford? Admittedly, different players are more suited for different leagues. Gourcuff struggled in Serie A, but has become the star of Ligue 1. Perhaps he would be well-equipped for life in England. There’s really no way to be certain, but I do find him to be an interesting option.
What it really all comes down to is one simple question: does this club need another midfielder? There are a lot of variables right now which makes it a difficult decision to make. How many seasons do Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have left in them? Eventually, when the midfield duo decides to retire, we’ll need to bring in reinforcements. But why bring in reinforcements now when they’ll likely be stuck behind Scholes and Giggs in the pecking order and likely become discouraged by lack of playing time? Then there are all the uncertainties surrounding Owen Hargreaves. He’s been back in training and could make his return to competitive action this month, but will he suffer another setback? And there are still doubts lingering around Michael Carrick. He was arguably the weakest link in the squad last season and has still yet to prove himself this season. Unless he rediscovers his form soon, it may be time for him to move on. And finally there is Tom Cleverley and Magnus Eikrem. Should both live up to our lofty expectations, the need for midfielders may be solved from within.
There are clearly a lot of uncertainties surrounding the midfield, so it’s hard to tell if additions will be needed in January or even next summer. And even then, would Gourcuff be our best option? There has been a lot of talk surrounding a move for Standard Liège captain Steven Defour. Sir Alex wrote a “get well soon” letter to Defour last season after the midfielder suffered a broken foot. The last player that Sir Alex wrote such a letter to? Ruud van Nistelrooy, and we all know how that turned out. I think it’s far more likely we’ll see Defour arrive at Old Trafford rather than Gourcuff.
Though this rumors appears to be transfer bollocks, I think this continuing speculation that United is searching for new midfielder is cause for debate. Players like Gourcuff are terrific players, but do we need them? Our squad has a very good balance right now; is there any reason to disturb that? Many believed we needed to sign a creative midfielder this, perhaps this is still the case. Gourcuff may be a good signing in the future, but I think we currently have plenty of midfielders and should continue to put faith in our current squad.
Discuss all today’s news and rumors in the forum.
You can follow Kyle on Twitter at KDill_MUFC.
Defi a mid who can influence the game with few brave , quick moves is needed ! PS18 N RG11 are not going to be with us forever ! A classic centre mid wod be a good option as we wod have nani n vale (getwellsoontonyV) when fit !!
It wasn’t his fault he was unsuccessful at AC Milan.
Ancelotti didn’t fancy him much, saying he had psychological issues. He only played in 36 league matches, 23 of them as a substitute. Not to mention he had Kaka to compete with for a starting place.
Next season he was the best player in Ligue 1, and Milan were desperate to keep him, but couldn’t.